New Arundel exec vetoes county's storm water fee plan

Storm water fees that residents will have to pay go into effect in July in many parts of Maryland, but the top official in one local jurisdiction shot down the county's first attempt at implementing the controversial fee.

Newly appointed Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman said Thursday that she vetoed the so-called rain tax.

Neuman said she hasn't had the proper amount of time to inform residents of the new state-mandated fee that Anne Arundel and nine other counties and cities in Maryland must charge property owners. State officials said the fee will be used to pay for projects and practices to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay from toxins contained in storm water runoff.

Anne Arundel County Council members passed a bill that would have charged homeowners between $34-170 a year, and about $1,300 per year per impervious acre for nonresidential properties. But Neuman shot it down, saying she wants the council to revise the fee plan.

"Ideally, I'd like to see a much slower phase in. We're coming on the tail end of a recession. A lot of folks are struggling financially, and this is a lot for them to take," Neuman told 11 News.

The plan must be in place by July 1. If it's not, the county would face up to $30,000 in fines. Neuman asked the state for a delay but was denied.

Environmentalists said they are concerned about what lowering fees or any other delay would do to the cleanup effort.

"We know that storm water is an issue and that rivers like the West River, the Severn River and the South River all have issues in the summer when it rains. We see the bacteria counts. It's a human health issue, and yet we are struggling because we keep pushing it off and hoping that there's going to be some other solution, when the reality is we need to tackle it now," said Alison Prost of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

The County Council can override Neuman's veto with a supermajority vote, but both sides know they have to get something in place by July 1 or the county could face what amounts to a civil lawsuit from the state.

Copyright 2013 byWBALTV.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.